Kremlin confirms Russian President Putin's divorce final

MOSCOW (AFP) - The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has finalised the divorce from his wife of 30 years, Lyudmila, following the couple's sudden split last summer.

Mr Putin's official biography, which described him as recently as March 27 as "Married. Wife Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Putina", now states simply that he has two daughters with no mention of a first lady.

The President's spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to state-owned Itar-Tass news agency that "the divorce has completed".

The Putins in June of last year delivered a shock announcement that they were splitting up after three decades of marriage, in a choreographed statement to a state television reporter after attending a ballet performance in Moscow.